Anderson logo deemed 'racist' by some at board meeting

Major League Baseball says the Cleveland Indians will stop using the Chief Wahoo logo on their uniforms starting in the 2019 season.
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Some residents of the Forest Hills Local School District told board members at the Feb. 26 school board meeting that it's time to change the Anderson High School Redskins mascot.(Photo: The Enquirer/Jennie Key)Buy Photo

A group of Anderson High School community members told their school board it's time to change the school's team name they feel is insensitive and racist.

Five residents – three from one family – spoke to the Forest Hills Local School District Board of Education Feb. 26 about the Anderson Redskins logo.

The conversation is long-running. In 1999, the school board declined a request from the American Indian Movement to change the school's mascot.

In 2003, the issue resurfaced and a committee looked at how the Anderson community felt about the use of Redskins as a logo. The group asked if residents believed "Redskins" was disrespectful and/or offensive to Native Americans. The district decided to keep the Redskins tradition because they said it was respectfully done and was not intended to be offensive.

Following the Cleveland Indians announcement in January that the team will retire the Chief Wahoo logo from its uniforms in 2019, the conversation begins again. The Forest Hills school board said at a work session earlier this month it will address the Anderson logo as part of a branding priority for 2018.

The topic was not on the board meeting agenda Monday night, but the board said it would hear comments from residents during the meeting.

Kelly Holterhoff, a 2003 graduate of Anderson High School, told the board members words matter, and the word "Redskin" is a racial slur as defined by every modern dictionary.

"We cannot debate a word that is defined as a racial slur any longer," Holterhoff said. "Our intention doesn't matter."

She attended the strategic planning meeting Feb. 15 and said she liked what she heard.

"I listened to a board committed to including measures for a renewed focus on diversity and mental health," she said.

"I listened to a board quickly running out of options to keep this divisive and derogatory mascot."

Alison Bushman has two daughters, Emma and Amy, who are students at Anderson High School. They have never worn the Redskin logo. Emma said she doesn't do cheers and chants at school games.

The Bushman family says it's time for the "R" word to go.

"I don't believe this is a hatred issue," Alison Bushman said. "This is one of the kindest communities I have ever encountered. I don't believe anyone who supports keeping the mascot is doing it out of hatred. I think it's an education issue. I don't think they understand the breadth of the harm they cause."

Ron Clark, Anderson High School class of 1955, did not address the board but brought his Anderson High School pennant to the meeting in support of the Redskins logo. He wants to keep the current logo and believes the name "Redskins" honors the fierceness of Native American warriors. "I am proud to be a Redskin," he said.

There have been no recent protests over the name since 1999.

According to the Ohio Department of Education 2016-17 report card for Forest Hills, the racial makeup of the district is almost 89 percent white. The report card shows 2.4 percent of students are Asian, Pacific Islander; 1.9 percent are black; and 3 percent are Hispanic. Enrollments of less than 10 students in a racial category are not included on the report card and it showed zero percent of the students are Native American.

Board president Jim Frooman thanked residents who spoke for their civility. A committee will be appointed to make recommendations to the board of education regarding the Redskins name and logo, he added.

The district has not set a timeline for the committee or further discussion.